A 1960s Bungalow in East Dunbartonshire – a quirky one-of-a-kind family home with a unique personal stye – has been crowned the winner of 2024’s Scotland’s Home of the Year in the finale of the popular BBC Scotland series.
Home to Anna McClelland, partner Harry Kinloch, their children Lexie (11) and Marley (9) (below) and Bob the cat, The 1960s Bungalow is a twice-extended family home in Milngavie, East Dunbartonshire. The couple – both Glasgow School of Art graduates – use their home as an outlet for their creativity, with the property boasting clever decorating techniques and reclaimed materials including school gym hall flooring complete with colourful markers.
The SHOTY judges – interior designers Anna Campbell-Jones and Banjo Beale and architect Danny Campbell (below) – crowned the winner of Scotland’s Home of the Year 2024 from a shortlist of six finalists found across Scotland. From Banchory to Dunblane, Moffat to Milngavie and Aviemore to Linlithgow, this year’s search showcased a variety of home styles including cosy cottages to colourful pads, period renovations to mid-century abodes.
Distinctive
Homeowner Anna McClelland is thrilled The 1960s Bungalow won the coveted title: “It’s very flattering to be named Scotland’s Home of the Year – especially considering some of the other homes involved. Our home is distinctive and unique because it’s like the inside of our heads and that’s also what makes it homely to us…but maybe not for lots of other people! It’s been a really positive experience taking part in SHOTY. Apart from anything else, entering the show meant Harry had to finally finish doing DIY in the house!”
Partner Harry Kinloch adds: “We were genuinely shocked to win. We weren’t expecting it all. I’ve finally made my mum proud!”
SHOTY Judge and interior designer, Anna Campbell Jones believes the 1960s Bungalow is a very worthy winner of the prestigious title: “This electrically eclectic creative home exemplifies what it means to truly make your home unique to you. It was fun and playful – an absolute dream family home to spark children’s imaginations and keep that same feeling alive in any adult who has the good fortune to experience it first-hand.”
Anna continues: “It felt like being inside the very souls of the people who lived there, rarely have I had that sense so strongly in an home. I was so impressed by the ingenious use of ’normal’ things in extraordinary ways, patterns made with electrical tape, inexpensive Zebra carpet given a whole new cool context, colourful decals on plain tiles & light switches…I could go on!
Interior Designer Banjo Beale agrees: “Unlike any home I have ever stepped foot in, the 1960s Bungalow was a work of art and a living canvas for its creative owners. The home was bold, brave and unapologetically 100% them. The owners created this home just for themselves. When you walked in, you really got a sense of who they were. From the duct tape art to a smiling loo, it didn’t take itself too seriously. It is a home for big and little kids alike.
“I loved the art gallery wall in the extension. Bright and light, with a bold curation of really interesting contemporary art. The old gymnasium floor, ping pong table and wall mural made this space burst to life.”
Architect and lecturer Danny Campbell adds: “The carefree abandon to which the homeowners had turned their home into their family curated artwork, but also, how cleverly they remodelled it. This one had it all – there were double front and rear dormers, a split-level kitchen and reconfigured internal layout, a large rear extension and landscaped garden – I was in architectural heaven. The new spaces they created were elevated by the commitment they had to their vision and how expertly every detail had been turned into artwork.
Adds Danny: “It was consistent, it was creative and it was clever – very memorable. We knew these homeowners would be fun to meet in person, they didn’t disappoint!”
Properties
For winners Anna and Harry, a real highlight was meeting the other SHOTY finalists. Says Anna: “One of the best bits was the chance to see the other houses – they were all so different!”
Harry adds: “And also the stories behind how everyone’s homes developed were really interesting. I actually asked the owners of Earth House [winners of Ep3 Highlands and Islands] if they’d consider a house swap – they said no!,” he laughs.
The 2024 series of Scotland’s Home of the Year visited 18 remarkable properties across the length and breadth of Scotland. For Anna, it’s been a remarkable series: “This year’s SHOTY contenders show the full breadth of incredible style, scale, imagination and budget Scotland can offer.”
Banjo agrees: “SHOTY has outdone itself this year. The homes have been awe inspiring, incredibly creative and packed full of character, from showstoppers like Earth House to wee gems like Quiney Cottage. It was incredibly hard to pick just one.”
Says Danny: “They were all amazing, what an incredible experience to try and pick a winner. It was so intensely fought at the final and the final three were extremely hard to separate.”
The seventh series of Scotland’s Home of the Year will begin filming over the summer. For more information on how to enter, please head to bbc.co.uk/shoty for full terms and conditions. Applications are open until the 5th July 2024.
Scotland’s Home Of The Year, the full seven-part sixth series, made by IWC Media (a Banijay UK company) for BBC Scotland, is available to view on BBC iPlayer.
The six Scotland’s Home of the Year 2024 finalists were:
- Quiney Cottage, Banchory (Ep1, North East & Northern Isles)
- 1960s Bungalow, Milngavie (Ep2, West)
- Earth House, Aviemore (Ep3, Highlands & Islands)
- The Old Mill, Dublane (Ep4, Central)
- Honeysuckle Cottage, Moffat (Ep5, South)
- Coldwater, Linlithgow (Ep6, East)
Images – IWC Media/BBC Scotland
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